Abstract:
In the past few years society has seen an exponential growth in the use of online
media. This research paper specifically looks at the growth of online news videos and
the extent to which consumers are embracing this new story telling format in
comparison to traditional news mediums.
Through the use of Linkert style surveys, this research paper aims to understand the
prevalence and acceptance of online news videos from the consumer’s perspective.
This research paper seeks to understand the roll that online video news plays in
society and decipher whether or not online video news is simply an addition to the
digital media landscape in South Africa or a driver of change in news production and
consumption. This research papers also aims to understand the roll of social media,
and thus the influence of off-site platforms on branding. The answers to these
questions will provide broadcasters vital information for future production and brand
building initiatives.
It will be shown in this research paper that there is a high prevalence of news
consumption through social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. It
will also be shown that there is a high prevalence and interaction with online news
videos but that the respondents did not find these videos to be significantly more
compelling than text articles.
